


If Only

by ItIsWhatItIs9194



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, BDSM, BDSM AU, Doctor Harry, Dom Louis, Dom/sub, Endgame Larry, Hospitals, Insecure Harry, Louis is a good Dom, M/M, NICU, Neonatologist Harry, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Louis, Shy Harry, Sub Harry, Sweet Harry, but Louis is not, harry loves babies, some Doms are assholes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 08:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15167111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItIsWhatItIs9194/pseuds/ItIsWhatItIs9194
Summary: “Please, don’t feel down about yourself. You’re a fabulous neonatologist and those who believe otherwise don’t matter.”Harry didn’t know what to say. No one had ever provided him with encouragement like Louis just had; he was always just expected to deal with his issues on his own. While he was thankful Louis was treating him so kindly, he couldn’t help but feel bad about it at the same time, because he’d probably never have a Dom as kind as him.OrWhere Harry is the neonatologist for Louis’ daughter, and he happens to be a submissive who gets mistreated daily for his status. Louis is a good Dom who wants to help boost Harry’s confidence and show him that not all Doms are awful people.





	If Only

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Happy 4th of July to all my American readers! <3 
> 
> First of all, I know I’ve been completely slacking with my fics! But not to worry, I’m still working on all of them even if it takes me a ridiculous amount of time, lol. That includes my fics with the lovely Teddy1008! We were actually writing together the other day! ;)
> 
> I intended for this to be a one shot at first, but now I think this work will flow better as a short, chaptered fic. 
> 
> I’d also like to note that Eleanor really plays a minimal role in this fic. Please don’t let her being included stop you from reading! She is really not that important to the plot, save for her being the baby’s biological mum. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! <3

Some days, the sound of crying babies became too much to bear. It wasn't that Harry didn't like working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, because he did — he absolutely _loved_ being a neonatologist. It was the reason why all the babies were there that saddened him.

 

Each crying baby had a reason they were in the NICU, which wasn't fair. Harry, who absolutely adored babies, always felt heartbroken when he received a new patient.

 

But, despite his heartbreak, he was always filled with hope as well — hope that he could help this new patient.

 

The first thing that caught his eye when he visited his new patient was her eyes. They were a sharp, bright blue, and they gazed around the room with wonder and curiosity. Harry smiled as he watched them flutter closed, unable to hold in his coos.

 

“You're such a beautiful little baby,” he whispered softly, smiling sweetly at her. He let his dimples pop out when she opened her eyes and stared back at him confusedly, perplexed by this whole new world around her. “Aren't you just so pretty? Those big blue eyes!”

 

“Found your new favourite baby?” a voice asked with a chuckle, making Harry turn around abruptly. “You can never keep just one favourite, can you? You're always switching it up.”

 

Harry grinned sheepishly, because well, the blond nurse was right. He became smitten with every new patient of his. “Look at her, Niall,” he whispered, gesturing towards the baby. “Look at her eyes. Aren't they just captivating?”

 

The blond nurse leaned down and popped a silly face at the baby, making her blink her eyes closed.  “Awww!” Niall cooed, unable to hold it in. He, just as Harry was, was always a sucker for the babies as well. Even though he was a Dom, he couldn't resist getting extra affectionate and fatherly with the babies like Harry did. “It’s amazing that she’s already able to open her eyes, Harry!”

 

Harry smirked. “I told you. They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?” he whispered, then took out his stethoscope. “Indeed, it is. She’s already making progress.” He pressed the tool to the baby’s little chest, and brought the ear pieces to his ears to listen.

 

Her heart was beating normally as of now, but he made a note in her chart to watch it. It was common for premature, newborn babies to experience apnea, which caused their heartbeat to become too slow during the period of paused breathing.

 

“How's her heartbeat?” Niall asked curiously, washing his hands. “Good, I hope.”

 

Harry cracked a grin, stuffing his stethoscope back in his lab coat pocket. “It's almost perfect right now. I just made a note in her chart to keep an eye on it, just because of the common newborn apnea. I’ll check on her feeding tube and oxygen after I go do these charts. Do you mind checking her temperature?”

 

“Understandable,” Niall agreed with a nod, drying his hands. “Yes, I’ll check her temperature. Does she need a change?”

 

The curly-haired man shrugged. “It’s been almost two hours since her last change, so I’d imagine so,” he said and approached the little girl, taking in a whiff. “Uh, yes,” he confirmed, stepping away and wrinkling his nose. “I'll just go enter in these notes.”

 

Niall simply rolled his eyes and gathered the changing supplies, always finding it funny how Harry couldn't stand to be around while he changed the babies. The doctor did have his quirks.

 

Harry smiled to himself as he left Niall with the babies, heading down the hall to his office. He thought of his new, adorable patient as he walked, already adoring her. He always immediately felt a connection with his patients, as they were all incredibly adorable beings, but this girl seemed more special to him — there was something different about this one.

 

As he approached his office door, he spotted a couple sitting in the waiting room.

 

There was a man who looked to be about thirty sitting next to a woman of about twenty-five years. The man was clearly the Dominant in the relationship, as his submissive was wearing a collar along with her hospital gown. They looked like any normal couple, with the Dom’s arm wrapped around the back of his sub’s chair.

 

But what made Harry’s smile falter in confusion was the fact that neither of them were smiling.

 

Ominous thoughts began to fill Harry's head, ones of illness, trauma, and death. Was their baby extremely sick? Was their baby going to die? Was that why they were sitting on the waiting room couches so glumly, or was there something else Harry wasn't able to identify?

 

The man looked up from where he had been staring at his sub, and Harry immediately scurried into his office, hoping he hadn't seen anything.

 

Blue eyes stared back at him.

 

* * *

 

“Why did you even come? Why are you here?!”

 

Louis sighed, scrubbing his hands down his face in exasperation. “Because I wanted to be.”

 

Eleanor’s nostrils flared, and she reached a shaky hand out to slap Louis, but faltered. Her Dom, Jake, gripped her wrist in a firm grasp to stop her from doing anything.

 

“Calm down, Eleanor,” he said sternly. “It's not right to hit anyone. Especially Louis.”

 

Eleanor huffed, crossing her arms that were covered in hospital bracelets. “He doesn't need to be here.”

 

Louis grimaced. “She's my daughter too, Eleanor. I think I deserve to be here.”

 

Thankfully, the waiting room only contained one other couple. They seemed to be minding their own business, and the Dom couldn't have been more thankful for that at the moment.

 

Eleanor’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she reached a thumb up to wipe them. “I don't need you here,” she snarled, reaching out and poking Louis harshly on the chest. “I don't need anyone.”

 

“Eleanor,” Jake warned. “I'm not going to punish you given our situation right now, but please do try to be polite.”

 

“Jake, it's fine,” Louis said softly. “Really.” He smiled weakly.

 

Tears built in Eleanor’s eyes once more, and she couldn't hold them back this time. She let out a quiet sob, covering her mouth with her hand. “I just want my baby to be okay,” she cried. “Please tell me she’ll be okay.”

 

Jake ran a soothing hand through his sub's hair. “Princess, they have the best doctors and nurses looking after our baby right now,” he assured her. “I'm sure she will be just _fine_.”

 

Louis watched the couple with sad, somewhat envious eyes, deciding to give them some privacy.

 

_Our baby._

 

Who did Jake think he was? Sure, Louis liked the guy all right, but he didn't think he had the right to call the baby his.

 

She wasn't his.

 

Louis sighed, deciding to head to the cafeteria to ease his mind. The last twenty-four hours had been extremely stressful. Being surrounded by all the doctors and nurses made him slightly uneasy, as he'd always hated hospitals. It was funny, because his mum was a nurse, but that did nothing to change his opinion on them.

 

He remembered when he was little and he had to stay at the hospital while his mum worked. Everything excited him, made him curious, and he always bombarded her with questions.

 

She would always laugh and present him with fibby answers to protect his innocence and preserve his no-fear-of-doctors-yet phase and then continue on with her work. It had annoyed Louis at the time, but now, he wished she could be here to do it again.

 

Sighing, the blue-eyed man stepped off the elevator once it dinged and headed inside the cafeteria. There weren't many people there, as it was only around ten o’clock, but there were a few doctors, nurses, and patients milling about.

 

Louis eyed the coffee machine with hopeful eyes, knowing he really shouldn't load up on caffeine because it wasn't the most healthy thing in the world. However, he was too addicted and stubborn to say no, and somehow he found himself standing in front of the coffee machine and grabbing a styrofoam cup.

 

His cup was almost full to the brim with coffee when he felt a new presence beside him. Not wanting the person to have to wait on him, he quickly fetched a lid for his cup and turned around, ready to be on his way.

 

Unfortunately, he had chosen to head the wrong way.

 

A body collided right into his, nearly making him drop his drink, but thankfully, he had a firm hold on it. He looked up to apologize, but the other person beat him to it.

 

“I–I’m so sorry!” the person cried. “I didn't mean to run into you!”

 

Louis’ heart immediately broke. The man standing before him was obviously distressed about what he’d done, and he hadn't even meant to do anything wrong.

 

“Don't worry,” he assured right away, his eyes soft. “I'm not mad. No harm done.” He held his hands up, showing he meant no harm.

 

The other man sighed, biting his lip in worry. “Are you sure? I can — I can pay for your coffee, or—”

 

Louis furrowed his eyebrows. Why was this man so nervous? It wasn't like he’d been purposefully rude — that would have been another thing. But this — oh.

 

It was only then Louis noticed the round, red mark located on the inside of the man’s wrist, and things clicked.

 

“Are you a sub?” he asked gently, not wanting to startle the man.

 

The man paused in his coffee pouring, looking at Louis uneasily. “I … yes, Sir,” he whispered, avoiding eye contact.

 

Louis approached the situation lightly. It was sad, really, the way many subs felt they were forced to act. Too many subs were somewhat frightened of Doms because there were much too many abusive ones in the world.

 

“You don't need to call me Sir,” Louis assured kindly, then bit his lip. Something about this man intrigued him, with the way he seemed so frightened of him, and he wanted to get to know him, in the least weird way possible. “Um, may I ask why you're here? I'm here with my … friends,” he said slowly, unsure of his exact relationship with Eleanor and Jake. “I'm supporting a sick friend.”

 

The man stepped away from the machine and headed to the register. “Actually, I'm a doctor here,” he admitted. “Shocking, I know. It isn't often you see a submissive who’s gone to med school,” he added sarcastically, paying for his drink.

 

Louis winced at the man’s words — they were truly heartbreaking. Too many submissives were mistreated, or they were misinformed on how special they were.

 

The Dom wanted to change that.

 

“I think that's wonderful …” Louis trailed off, waiting for a name.

 

“Harry,” the man offered with a nod. “My name is Harry.”

 

Louis smiled. “Harry,” he said, the name rolling off his tongue easily. “Enjoy your coffee, Harry.” He bid him farewell and went on his way.

 

And when he turned back to wave, there was a hint of a smile playing on Harry's lips.

 

* * *

 

Harry's day had sucked.

 

It started off all right with meeting his beautiful, sweet, blue-eyed patient, but pretty much everything after that event had gone wrong.

 

For one thing, he absolutely _hated_ getting yelled at. And of course, he and the other doctors and nurses hadn't been able to find a good medicine that would help one of his patient’s lungs, and the patient’s parents had gone mad.

 

Being that Harry was the head of his practice, he was to blame. It didn't help that he was a submissive doctor, either. Many submissive doctors weren't trusted by their patients or their patients’ parents, which just made their job even more difficult.

 

“Are you a Dom or a sub?” his patient’s father demanded to know, voice gruff as he spoke. It was immediately obvious to Harry that the man was a Dom with the way he carried himself.

 

Harry took a step back unconsciously. “I don't believe that is any of your concern, Sir,” he said as confidently as he could. “No matter if I'm a Dom or a sub, I assure you that I'll do my absolute best to help your son.”

 

The man rolled his eyes. “Tell me your status or I will be demanding a new doctor straight away,” he said through gritted teeth.

 

“Submissive, Sir,” Harry squeaked, clutching his clipboard to his chest as tight as he could. He wished he had a Dom to squeeze him tightly right now, but sadly, his paperwork would have to do. He had become accustomed to not having anyone to hold, anyway.

 

“Then I would like to request a new doctor right away,” the man said calmly. “Preferably a Dominant. You submissives aren't fit to care for patients on your own.”

 

Harry nodded, giving the man a faltering smile. “Of course, Sir. A new doctor will be with you very soon,” he said, then dismissed himself out the door.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to compose himself. It wasn’t like this was the very first time he’d been mistreated while he was at work, but that didn’t matter much to him. What really bothered him was he was too weak to defend himself.

 

He sighed to himself, then made his way down the hall to the nurses’ station to request a new doctor. He stared at the ground as he walked, trying not to dwell on what had just happened. It wasn’t fair by any means, but he had learned that these types of problems were things he just had to learn to deal with if he wanted to be a submissive doctor.

 

“Hi, Dr. Styles!” nurse Kelly greeted him with a large smile, watching as he set his paperwork on her desk. “How is everything going today?”

 

He gave her a weak smile and ran a hand through his curls. “Okay,” he said weakly, unable to stop the crack in his voice. “I just need to request that Connor Johnson is assigned a new doctor.”

 

“Wasn’t he your patient?” she asked confusedly, furrowing her brows as she clicked away on her computer.

 

Harry nodded slowly. “Yes, but his parents weren’t … satisfied, you could say, with my performance, I suppose,” he admitted.  “But that’s okay. I’m not the only neonatologist here. Any doctor they see will be amazing.”

 

“Oh, honey …” Kelly sighed sadly. “I wish people wouldn’t be such jerks. You’re clearly the best doctor here. It’s such a shame that your patients’ parents allow your status to interfere with that.”

 

“It’s all right, really,” the doctor promised with an attempted reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about me. The Johnson’s would like a new doctor.” He gave her one last nod before he gathered his things and went on his way to visit his next patient and her family.

 

Hopefully this one would go well.

 

* * *

 

Louis’ leg jumped up and down impatiently as he sat next to Jake and Eleanor. His attitude had turned even more irritable since that morning as Eleanor refused to speak to him. He understood that she had just given birth only twenty-four hours ago, but she was being downright disrespectful. There were quite a few instances where he desperately craved to scold her, but he stopped himself. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to reprimand his ex-submissive in front of her new Dominant. It did irk him that Jake was hardly making an effort to correct her misbehaviour, but he supposed he was simply a more lenient Dom than he was.

 

“El, you’ve got to get back in bed,” Jake told the sub in a slightly firm tone. “You need to rest and be ready to talk to Dr. Styles.”

 

Louis watched as Eleanor silently obeyed her Dom, though he didn’t miss the frustrated sigh that left her lips. Understandably, she wasn’t happy, as she wanted to see her daughter, but the doctors wouldn’t allow her to do so until they deemed it safe.

 

He couldn’t help but find the entire situation awkward and messy. As he watched Jake stroke Eleanor’s hair, he gritted his teeth in jealousy. He knew Jake was going to try to be _his_ daughter’s father, and he wasn’t going to have any of that. The only reason why he was here was to make sure his baby was okay, and he intended to do just that. Jake and Eleanor were becoming fairly irrelevant in his life now.

 

“She’s asleep,” Jake told Louis quietly, breaking the man out of his thoughts. He took a seat next to him, making Louis shift a little bit farther away. He and Jake weren’t on good terms, and the blue-eyed Dom didn’t have any desire for them to be. “Finally. She was getting to be a right brat.”

 

Louis rolled his eyes. “I know. I’ve been thinking that the entire time we’ve been here. It’s about time you actually let her know you’re in charge.”

 

“Really, Louis? I didn’t ask for your opinion. All I did was let you know she’s sleeping. I get that you’re jealous—”

 

The other Dom scoffed. “I’m not _jealous_ , Jake. Jealous is the last word to describe me right now. Eleanor left me seven months ago and I’ve gotten over it. I will, however, be jealous if you think you’re gonna be _my_ daughter’s father. Because you won’t ever be.”

 

Louis made to storm out of the room, collecting his coffee and phone, before he headed for the door. He didn’t want or need to hear anymore of Jake’s shit. The two of them constantly argued, and he was sick of it. Nothing was going to change between the three of them.

 

“Whatever, Louis,” Jake huffed, pulling out his phone and making to scroll through the Twitter app. “I’m done arguing about this shit.”

 

Louis rolled his eyes at Jake again and raised his hand to open the door, but as he did, a knock sounded from the other side. Sighing, the Dom stepped back to allow whoever it was to enter. _Could he never get a break_?

 

When the door creaked open slowly, Louis was surprised to realize that he recognized the man standing in front of him. “Harry,” he said quietly, his eyes lighting up. “I didn’t know you were El’s doctor …”

 

Harry smiled, somewhat shyly. “Actually, I’m not. I’m Ella’s neonatologist, and I’m here to discuss her condition with you if that’s all right?” He couldn’t help but raise his voice in question, not able to completely let go of his submissive traits even when speaking with patients’ families.

 

Louis stilled. The man he’d run into in the cafeteria this morning was his daughter’s doctor — and quite a beautiful one at that. He wished he’d met him before their run-in, but he’d been in the washroom when he came to speak to Jake and Eleanor previously.

 

“Of course,” Louis agreed after he jumped out of his stupor. “El’s sleeping right now, but you may wake her up if necessary.”

 

Harry nodded, stepping further into the room. He noticed Jake sitting on the couch near Eleanor’s bed and gave him a nod in acknowledgement before he gently shook Eleanor awake. “Hi, Ms. Calder,” he greeted her softly with a smile. “It’s Dr. Styles. I’m here to update you on Ella’s condition.”

 

Like lightning, Eleanor sat up in her bed as fast as she could once she came to, eager to be updated on the condition of her daughter. She reached out a hand for Jake, wanting him to comfort her, and the Dom took her hand in his and squeezed gently. Louis refrained from rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time.

 

“You’re the father, correct?” Harry questioned, washing his hands in the sink as he addressed Jake.

 

Louis’ mouth went agape. Had Jake lost his goddamn mind? “Actually, Dr. Styles, _I_ am the father.”

 

Harry furrowed his brows as he dried his hands on a paper towel. “When I came to introduce myself last night, Mr. Davies told me that he was the father. Has there been a miscommunication?”

 

It was no secret that Harry hated conflict. As a submissive, he wanted everything to run smoothly and orderly, which didn’t happen often enough for his liking. Conflict meant he had to stand up for himself and resolve issues, and that was never an easy task for him.

 

“Yes. I’m Ella’s father, Louis Tomlinson. Her surname is Tomlinson, is it not?” Louis replied, glaring daggers at Jake. Eleanor sat silently in her bed, refusing to make eye contact with either Dom.

 

Harry frantically flipped through the pages in Ella’s chart to double check, although he was positive Ella’s last name was, indeed, Tomlinson. After being told off for repaying factual information without checking his resources first in the past, however, he was not willing to risk getting yelled at by one of the Doms in the room. Louis seemed nice and pleasant, but he’d learned that he could never be too sure. “Yes, that is correct. Ella Grace Tomlinson.”

 

“We’d like to change the name to Ella Grace Davies,” Jake interfered. “She will not be taking Mr. Tomlinson’s last name.”

 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you prick? _I’m_ her father, not you! You will _never_ be her father!” Louis pointed a finger at Jake’s chest threateningly. His hate for the man grew stronger with every passing second.

 

“It doesn’t matter. Her name will be Ella Grace Davies, Louis. Eleanor doesn’t want her to take your last name.”

 

Harry bit his lip. “I don’t mean to interrupt, gentlemen, but since Mr. Tomlinson was Ms. Calder’s Dominant when she became pregnant and he impregnated her, the decision is left up to him. Since Mr. Tomlinson is a Dominant, his decision automatically overrides Ms. Calder’s as a submissive, and he ultimately has the rights to choose Ella Grace’s surname and who has full legal custody of her,” he explained, doing his best to mediate the situation.

 

“Dr. Styles, I see you have a red circle on the inside of your wrist. We would like to request a new, Dominant neonatologist immediately,” Jake told Harry firmly, lips pressed into a thin line, clearly unhappy.

 

“What the hell, Jake? Don’t be an arsehole! You can’t demand a new doctor just because you don’t agree with the law!” Louis was positively fuming, upset with the way this other Dominant felt he could treat Dr. Styles just because of his submissive status.

 

Harry offered a small, tight smile. This was the second time that day he’d been mistreated because of his status, and he was sad to admit that this kind of thing really wasn’t all that abnormal. He’d been forced to request Dominant doctors instead of himself countless times. “Of course, Mr. Davies. I’d be happy to bring in Dominant Dr. Carson to explain the custody law to you once more, but I can assure you she will simply retell what I’ve just explained. Would you still like me to request she come in?”

 

Jake huffed. “Forget it.” He didn’t want to suffer another outburst from Louis. “I guess Louis is destined to have custody then, yeah?

 

“If Mr. Tomlinson having custody over Ella Grace is what he would like, then yes. If not, he has the rights to select who will have custody.”

 

“I will have custody, Dr. Styles,” Louis told him firmly. “I believe that is what will work out best.”

 

Jake and Eleanor visibly deflated, but there was nothing they could do. It was the law; nothing was going to change that. They knew Louis would take excellent care of Ella, but they couldn’t help but feel saddened by the situation — especially Eleanor.

 

“Please don’t take my baby from me, Louis,” Eleanor pleaded, a few tears welling up in her eyes. “Please. I’m her mum.”

 

Harry watched silently as Louis gently cupped Eleanor’s cheek and pressed a soft, platonic kiss to her supple skin. “Shhh, El. I’m not going to take her away from you. If Jake permits it, you, and only you, may come visit her every once in awhile, yeah?”

 

The sub nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. “Thank you, Louis.” She reached up and wiped her tears away with her thumb.

 

Louis and Eleanor didn’t have the most friendly relationship anymore, and they hadn’t for a little over six months now: when they found out they were pregnant. But he was not the type of Dom to treat a submissive poorly, and he was definitely not the type of Dom to separate families. So he promised himself he would do his best to ensure that Ella knew who her mum was, even if she wasn’t going to be a part of her life.

 

Harry cleared his throat. “Is the situation settled amongst you all then?” The three in question nodded, confirming Harry’s question. “Perfect. If I may, I’d like to update you on Ella Grace’s condition now.”

 

“Of course,” Louis agreed, taking a seat on the couch he’d been sitting on before he tried to run out of the room. “How is she?”

 

“As you know, Ella was born at twenty-eight weeks, which puts her about at six months — three months earlier than a normal pregnancy. Her weight is about one point one kilograms as of now, which is a healthy weight for a twelve week premature baby,” he began slowly, knowing this information was going to be a lot to take in. “Because of the early birth, she’s going to require a lot of extra care for awhile. We currently are monitoring her heart rate to ensure she doesn’t develop apnea, and she is also hooked up to a breathing tube while a feeding tube is providing her the nutrients she needs. She is being kept in an isolette, which is a small bed enclosed by clear, hard plastic. The temperature of the isolette is adjustable, which allows us to help regulate her body temperature since she is unable to do so herself.”

 

“Oh, God,” Eleanor mumbled, putting a hand on her mouth and shaking her head in disbelief. “My poor baby.”

 

“Don’t worry, Ms. Calder. I’ve already seen her open her eyes, which is immense progress this early in her stay. It’s extremely rare that preemie babies open their eyes very often or very early,” Harry tried to console her. And then it clicked: he realized just where those captivating blue eyes came from. “And I must say that they are a beautiful blue.” He smiled softly, doing his best to avoid staring straight into Louis’ eyes.

 

Eleanor looked relieved, letting out a breath. “Thank you, Dr. Styles.”

 

“Of course.” Harry smiled. He loved when he had good news to report. It saved him from having to tell his patient’s parents awful news, and it also usually saved him from getting told off for ‘not doing his job correctly’ because he’s a submissive. “Now, I’d like to take you to visit Ella. She’s currently residing in the NICU, or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as you know. There are certain precautions you will need to take before I may allow you inside the unit, which we will go over.”

 

Louis cleared his throat before Harry could continue. “Dr. Styles, may I speak to you outside for a moment?”

 

Harry paused and looked into Louis’ cerulean blue eyes, which he’d promised himself he should avoid doing. It was no use getting lost in those beautiful eyes, because he could never have Louis anyway. “Of course, Mr. Tomlinson.” He gave the man a tight smile, fearing the worst. “I’ll just be a moment,” he informed Jake and Eleanor, following Louis out the door.

 

“Mr. Tomlinson, Dr. Carson will be with you immediately to continue Ella’s care if that is what you would like,” Harry told the Dom right after the door to Eleanor’s room closed behind them. “It’s really not a problem, I assure you.” He was used to these types of requests. Although it deeply hurt him because he was just as qualified as the Dominant neonatologists, it was nothing new to him. It hurt him every single time it happened, but he had learned that he’d just have to deal with it if he wanted to be a submissive doctor.

 

Louis shook his head vigorously. “Dr. Styles, no. I don’t want to request a new doctor. You’re perfectly qualified to be Ella’s neonatologist. That’s not why I wanted to speak with you,” he assured.

 

“Oh.” Harry breathed a sigh of relief, though he was still a bit nervous since he had no idea what Louis was going to say to him. He needed to remain professional, however. “How can I help you, then?”

 

“I just want to sincerely apologize for Jake’s behaviour. His attitude is inexcusable and you don’t deserve to be treated like that. It was incredibly rude of him to request a new doctor, and I’m so sorry for that. I trust you with my daughter and know you’ll take excellent care of her,” Louis sincerely told Harry. “Please, don’t feel down about yourself. You’re a fabulous neonatologist and those who believe otherwise don’t matter.”

 

Harry didn’t know what to say. No one had ever provided him with encouragement like Louis just had; he was always just expected to deal with his issues on his own. While he was thankful Louis was treating him so kindly, he couldn’t help but feel bad about it at the same time, because he’d probably never have a Dom as kind as him.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Tomlinson. I appreciate the apology, although it really wasn’t necessary. I’m used to dealing with Dominants like Jake,” he told the Dom, shuffling on his feet a little. “It’s all right.”

 

“No, Dr. Styles, it’s not all right,” Louis insisted, opening the door to Eleanor’s room. “And I hope I can help you see that one day.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments really are the only thing that keeps me writing lately, so please take the time to leave me one! I’d appreciate it so much! <3


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